‘Let’s hang on to the hope that in the end we will prevail’

The entrance to the former Hanoi prison, named by American prisoners of war in the Vietnam War as the 'Hanoi Hilton'

On the one hand, we want to be hopeful and look forward to life returning to normal.

On the other hand, there are grim realities we can’t ignore.

Which is the right way to see things?

I believe both mindsets are needed right now.

It reminds me of a story I heard about an American Naval Officer, Jim Stockdale, who was captured during the Vietnam War and imprisoned for eight years in the infamous ‘Hanoi Hilton’ prisoner of war camp.

In addition to trying to keep himself alive, Stockdale was also responsible for the other American POWs.

Some of his men were remarkably resilient, while others broke down under the hardships of the camp.

When Stockdale was finally released from captivity in 1973, he was asked about the difference between those who survived and those who did not.

Surprisingly, it was the optimists who perished.

Stockdale said: “It was the ones who said ‘we’re going to be out by Christmas’, but Christmas would come and go.

“Then they would say ‘we’re going to be out by Easter’, but Easter would come and go.

“Eventually their disappointment caught up to them. They died of a broken heart.

“This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

This has become known as the Stockdale Paradox — the tension between the belief that we will prevail in the end, while still being honest about the hard realities we’re facing.

This mindset is not an easy tension to manage, but it is essential in helping us get through this crisis.

So let’s not shrink from the hard realities we’re facing: the daily tally of deaths and new cases, the necessity of lockdown, and the uncertainty about the future.

But let’s unashamedly hang onto the hope that in the end, we will prevail.

Pastor Todd Roberts leads Antioch Community Church, Headford Street, Broomhall – see antiochsheffield.org.uk